Beyond Nome

 

After nearly two weeks harbored in Nome, Alaska, Tamara Klink and the Sardinha 2 are finally at sea once again, heading north. It's still not clear whether she's planning on taking the Northeast or the Northwest Passage to reach the Atlantic, but her long stay in Nome makes me suspect that she may be Northeast bound. The Northwest Passage should have been clear of ice by this point in the season, but perhaps she was waiting for the ice over Siberia in the Northeast Passage to finally melt. Also, the red tape for Russian permits and entry visas may have taken some time to clear. But we probably won't know which way she's heading until she passes through the Bering Strait and past the Diomede Islands.

Speaking of the Northeast Passage, Matt Rutherford and the Chimera have passed over the Svalbard Islands. Rutherford got as far north as latitude 81° 14' before heading back south again, but his approach toward Russian waters has been interrupted by a major storm in the Barents Sea. He's currently tacking east and west at around the 78th degree latitude to kill some time until the storm plays itself out.

A separate storm in the Bering Sea has Ella Hibbert and the Yeva pinned down on Saint Paul Island, where she's been since May. She's ready to go on her trip over Siberia and across the Northeast Passage, but there's no point (or wisdom) in starting the trip under the torrential rainfall, high seas, winds, and low visibility currently in the Bering. Another day or two and she should finally be on her way.